First and last for Speak

First:

It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.

Last: (I really lived* the last chapter and this final exchange with her awesome art teacher Mr. Freeman):

He sits on the stool next to me and hands back my tree. "You get an A+. You worked hard at this." He hands me the box of tissues. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up.

Me: "Let me tell you about it."

*Edit: Good grief, I meant "loved." I didn't live the last chapter of this book, although I would have enjoyed having a cool art teacher.